WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 September 1922, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE RAILWAYS. CRITICISM AND SUGGESTIONS

SPECIAL TO GU AUDI AN. WELINGTON, Sept 25. Members had. much criticism and many suggestions to offer when the Railway Estimates were under consideration in the House of Representatives on Friday. The general opinion appeared to be that the Minister’s newly constituted Railway Board and his commercial agents were not going to produce any startling improvement in either the service or the finances of the Department. Mr George Mitchell’s view of the reorganisation was shared by many members on both sides of the House. The Independent member for Wellington South urged that the Railway Board should include two business men, unhampered by the stereotyped routine and mouldy traditions of the Department, and would stimulate and modernise the management of the railways. Air W. A. Vciteli complained of inadequate ministerial control and scoffed at reforms which he declared were no reforms at all, while members better disposed towards the Department could only hope that the changes the Minister was making would produce better results. Dr Newman and Air R. A. Wright, both sitting on the Government side of the House, disapproved strongly of the concessions in rates which are being made to the farmers at the expense of the rest of the community.

THE AfTNI.STER IN REPLY. The Hon D. IT. Guthrie is a careful, conscientious administrator and a kindly courteous gentleman, but he is not endowed with the qualities that enable a Afinister of the Crown to make the best of a had job. He listened patiently to tUe long string of complaints, and admitted most of them were justified. l>nt he' had nothing more than intangible promises to offer to the House. The Department was doing a great deal to encourage the use of railways, he maintained, to the obvious surprise and bewilderment of inefnbers. It was doing much work “at less than cost,” he reiterated, and it was the policy of the Government to do this because the jublic ex]>ected it. Of course this was no answer to Dr Newman and Air iR. A. Wright, who with the most friendly feeling towards the Minister had protested against road metal, manures, lime and many other articles being carried on the railways much below the cost of haulage. But a good- time is coming, according to Air Guthrie. There are to he cheaper excursion tickets, by and by, better equipped carriages and. perhaps, faster trains. .“Alan never is,-hut always to he blest.” LOBBY DISCUSSIONS.

Two matters being discussed in the lobbies are the payment of the cost of. the military assistance that may he given to the Afother Country in the Near East, and the suggestion for the prolongation of the life of Parliament in the event of the Empire again being involved in war. A statement made hv the Prime Minister in the House last week to the effect that he was not expecting any difficulty in obtaining what money might ho required for the despatch of a contingent was taken by some people in imply that New Zealand would look to tlie Imperial Government to font the hill for such services as it might render. A large majoiity of the membeis of the House would strongly object to any arrangement of that kind, and it is tolerably safe to sav Mr Afassey never had it in his mind to make the contingent a charge upon the Imperial purse. The cost of the adventure would fall upon the Dominion and would entail an extensive revision of the Government’s financial proposals. As for the postponement of the general election this would he highly improbable in any cirsumstances that can he conceived. THE SESSION.

Mr Massey’s statement that the general election would take place this year considerably earlier than it did in 1010 was founded on tlie assumption that the session would close before the end of October. The assumption was justified, because a Prime Afinister with the majority Mr Afassev commands, and with (lie discipline «*ho maintains, can get rid of Parliament pretty well when he pleases. But if the worst should happen in the Near East the House might he kept in session for a week or two beyond the customary time and in that case many members would have difficulty in getting round their constituencies before tlie polling. Apprehensive of something of this sort occurring, members are doing an unusually large amount of “week-ending" this year and Ministers, as a rule, have found a thin and compliant House on Friday nights. This was the case last week when an exceptionally large instalment of the Estimates wont through at high speed. It is becoming more and more apparent that Air Massey has acted wisely in keeping hack his more important policy measures till tlie majority of the members arc impatient to get home.